Karachi chatkhara — Restaurant in Elk Grove Township

As someone who has lived in both Lahore and Karachi, and now lives in Chicago, I’ve eaten incredible Pakistani food in all three places. From home-cooked meals to street vendors to high-end restaurants, I know what good food is supposed to taste like. This place served the exact opposite. It was one of the worst meals I’ve ever had. Not just bad Pakistani food, but genuinely bad food, period.

We ordered the paratha rolls. The fries were a complete disaster. They were clearly frozen, possibly pre-cooked, and then refried in what tasted like old, cheap oil. Every single bite came with an aftertaste of grease. It felt like sipping cooking oil with every mouthful. By the end of the meal, my throat was coated in that same low-grade oil. It wasn’t just unpleasant, it was disgusting.

The rolls were no better. Greasy, bland, and sloppy. We had been looking forward to the meal all day, but still ended up leaving half of it in the takeout box. We couldn’t bring ourselves to finish it. That is not something I say lightly. The food was so bad we had to toss it in the trash. Total waste.

And for what? Fourteen dollars per roll. For oily fries, poor presentation, and food that belongs in the bin. It felt like we were being ripped off, plain and simple.

What made it worse was the name of the restaurant. It gives you hope. It makes you think they care about the culture, about real flavor, about doing justice to the city they’re referencing. They don’t. This kind of food gives Pakistani cuisine a bad reputation. It’s sad to see a name that should carry pride and heritage being used to serve this level of carelessness.

We walked out disappointed, frustrated, and still hungry. We ended up going to McDonald’s just to get a drink to wash the taste out of our mouths. That says everything.

If you know anything about South Asian food, or if you simply value good food in general, do not go here. Do not waste your money. Do not show up expecting anything remotely close to authentic flavor or even basic quality. You will be disappointed. We...

Karachi Chatkhara is a newer Pakistani Restaurant that been open about 4 months in this area. It’s right on Golf Road in a strip mall and very easy to get to with plenty of parking and no hassles like on Devon! It’s a nice family run establishment with the food being halal freshly made daily and offering a huge variety of authentic Pakistani cuisine.

Qiswa, her mom, dad and brother provide a nice clean peaceful dining experience. They even have a separate private prayer area too.

We tried the Chicken Karahi and the Tandoori Chicken. Both were excellent! The Karahi was seasoned perfectly, not overly spiced, served hot with really fluffy naans. The tandoori chicken was boneless and burst with fresh flavors served with a very unique tasty homemade chutney. I like that the chicken had a nice char taste and was still moist and in bite size pieces.

We ended our meal with piping hot chai and in-house made rubri kheer which was excellent. It wasn’t overly sweet and had a very nice smooth and creamy texture. The food was so good that we ordered a carryout of puri halwa to have in the morning.

The puri halwa was nicely packed and I like they put the chaana (garbanzo beans) and aloo bhujia (potato) separate as each has its own unique taste perfectly made!

Karachi Chatkhara is a really nice place to have party events too as they also offer a separate banquet room and do catering.

This is a perfect place to have a delicious tasty Pakistani meal in the Northwest suburbs and not have to drive all the way to Devon!

Thank you Qiswa for making our dining experience memorable...

This review is coming from the point of view of a white woman and her Pakistani husband!

The food was delicious, the chicken patties seemed homemade and fresh. It was so nice to have something flaky and savory and I could tell it was made with care. I also got the chicken mayo roll, which was good but a bit too spicy for me. It came with delicious fries and I ate about half of it with the fries helping to soothe the spice. My husband got chaat which was an extremely generous serving. He really enjoyed it but it was definitely on the spicer side. He also got the Karachi bun kebab which he said was delicious and he could tell it was homemade. We both got chai which was delicious as well and served in the cutest little cups which were traditional matka cups.

The food was fresh and the quality was incredible. It tasted homemade with flavor but presentation was still restaurant standard. My husband was so happy to find a restaurant with good Pakistani/Karachi flavors and we will definitely be back to try both more dinner options as well as to try their...